Adjustable safety device for boat anchors



Aug. 26, '1952 N. S. SPQNENBURG ADJUSTABLE SAFETY DEVICE FOR BOATANCHORS Filed Feb. 23, 1949 Inventor Norman 5. Sponenburg Patented Aug.26, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

3 ADJUSTABLE SAFETYDEVICE'FOR BOAT AN CHORS Norman S. sponenburg-Gurnee, Ill.

Application February 23, 1949-, SerialNo. 77,873

2 Claims. (01. 114-199) 1 v i This invention relates to new and usefulim provements in boat anchors, and the primary objectof the presentinvention is to provide a boatattachment for adjustably receiving ananchor line or rope. 1 a

Another important object of the present invention is to provide anadjustable safety device for boat anchors including. a novel andimproved gravity-actuated locking member that will grip and preventsliding movement of an anchor rope relative to a boat.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustablesafety device for boat anchors embodying a novel and improved means fordetachably securing the same to boats of various sizes or shapes withoutin any way harmfully affecting or interfering with the normal structureof a boat.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide an adjustablesafety device for boat anchors that is simple and practical inconstruction, strong and reliable in use, neat and attractive inappearance, small and compact in structure, relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, and

, otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same isintended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof. wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a boat and showing thepresent invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantiallyon the plane of section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the planeof section line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially onthe plane of section line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral represents a boat generally, having a pair offorwardly converging sides or walls l2 that are reinforced by innerstrips M at their upper portions.

An elongated base member or plate It is supported upon the upper edgesof the sides [2 and the strips l4 and includes a forwardly taperedportion [8 that extends forwardly of the boat.

The portion I8 is provided with a longitudinal slot 26 in which there isfixed a shaft or pin 22 that rotatably supports a pulley or guide 24.

The base member It also includes a pair of lateral projections 26 thatextend outwardly from the sides 12 so that the base member can beapplied to boats whose sides are spaced at a pre determined distance,and the projections 26 are provided with elongated slots 28 that aredisposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe-base member [6.

Bolts or fasteners 36 are slidably received inthe slots 28 and aresecured to the web portions of C-clarnps 32 in any suitable manner. TheC-clamps 32 embrace the upper portions of the sides [2 and supportclamping screws 34 that are conveniently rotatable to retain the clampsrelative to the sides [2.

The bolts 30 receive bearing washers or plates 36 that bear against theupper surfaces of the projections 26. Nuts 38, preferably of the wingtype, are threaded on the upper ends of the bolts 36 and urge thewashers 36 against the projections for retaining the clamps 32 disposedin selected adjusted positions relative to each other and to the basemember.

Detachably secured to the base member l6, by fasteners or the like 40,is the web portion of a substantially U-shaped support 42;

An eccentrically pivoted roller or gravity-actuated locking member 44 ismounted between the legs of the support 42 and includes a concavedrecess 46, adjacent one end. The lower surface of the member 44,adjacent the recess 46, is provided with a toothed or serrated surface48.

In practical use of the present invention, an anchor rope or anchorsupporting element 50 is trained over the pulley or guide 24 and extendsdownwardly through the slot 20 where the same is secured to a suitableanchor. The rope 56 extends between the member 44 and the web of thesupport 42 and into the boat. The member 44 is gravity-actuated so thatits toothed surface is urged downwardly to grip the rope and force therope against the Web of the support 42. Any downward pull on the rope 50by the anchor will tend to swing the toothed surface 48 downwardly andforwardly, thereby preventing disengagement of the rope with the member44.

To disengage the rope from the surface 48, the rope is pulled laterallyof the member 44 so that the rope will enter the recess 46.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of thedevice 3 will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shownand described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An adjustable safety device for boat anchors comprising a basemember, means carried by the base member for detachably securing thebase member to a supporting structure, a guide mounted on said basemember, a flexible anchor supporting element trained over said guide,and means on the base member remote from the guide for locking saidanchor supporting element to the base member, said means detachablysecuring said base member to a supporting structure including a pair ofC-clamps, and means slidably adjustably securing said c-clamps to saidbase member.

2. In a boat having a pair of forwardly con verging sides, an adjustablesafety device for a boat anchor comprising, an elongated base membersupported by the sides of the boat and having a pair of lateralprojections projecting outwardly of the sides of the boat, asubstantially U-shaped support fixed to the base member, a rotatablemember mounted on the support and having a toothed surface for grippingan anchor rope, a guide mounted on the base member adjacent the supportfor receiving an anchor rope, slots provided in said lateralprojections, fasteners slidably received in said slots, and clampsmounted on said fasteners for gripping the sides of the boat.

NORMAN S. SPONENBURG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name Date 19,131 Crane Jan. 19, 1858248,331 Lucas Oct. 18, 1881 296,152 Fair Apr. 1, 1884 1,017,153 KampeFeb. 13, 1912 1,107,934 Hagan Aug. 18, 1914 1,309,975 Wright July 15,1919 1,618,634 Boller Feb. 22, 1927 1,709,910 Gray Apr. 23, 19291,800,851 Wennerstrom Apr. 14, 1931 2,299,178 Reiter Oct. 20, 19422,426,881 Johnson et a1. Sept. 2, 1947.

OTHER. REFERENCES Catalog of Armstrong & Galbraith, Inc., New York, N.Y. Copyrighted 1941, page 29.

